Former Chelsea captain John Terry has aimed a dig at ex-Blues boss Rafa Benitez while praising another former manager in Jose Mourinho on social media. The club legend revealed that Benitez, who left the club in 2013, had told him he “had to go” during his tenure.
The centre-back stayed on, eventually winning another Premier League under Mourinho when he made his return to the club a decade after he won the first league title at Stamford Bridge. Terry stayed at Chelsea until 2017, making over 700 appearances and winning 17 trophies.
After leaving the club, the defender told the official club website : “After 22 years there is so much to say and so many people to thank at this great football club. From coaches, teammates and staff to the fans who have given me so much support down the years, I can’t thank you enough.”
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He, along with a number of his teammates during the time, have gone down as legends in their own right. While he may have had 17 trophies at the club to his name, Terry has revealed he could have had fewer as former boss Benitez had told him to leave the club in 2013.
Posting a picture on his Instagram account, Terry wrote: “Champions 2015. I played every single game the season after Rafa told the club I had to go and I couldn’t play two games a week…I then had a phone call from Jose Mourinho telling me he was coming and I was his captain."
The ex-England centre-back played just 14 times under Benitez in the 2012-2013 season, though under Mourinho he went on to play 34 the season after and then every game in the title-winning side of 2014-2015.
Had the Spaniard stayed in charge at Stamford Bridge, it leaves the question of how the defender’s legacy would remain at the club. However, luckily for the fans and for him, Mourinho’s return made sure he would win again, firmly cementing himself as a club great.
